isn’t everybody?

Fashion brands have–somewhat inexplicably–been trying to make fanny packs (or, as they’re more diplomatically termed, “belt bags”) cool for years. Part of the rationale makes sense: trend variation is key in order for brands to keep sales up, so it’s in their best interest to try and convince you there’s something you want that isn’t already in your closet, and who among us has too many fanny packs? Where things go wrong, though, is that fanny packs are generally unflattering and also require sizing according to the wearer’s body, which is counter to the reason that handbags are so popular with consumers to begin with: you don’t have to be or stay a particular size for a cool bag. The latest designer to give this problem a shot is Alexander Wang on his Fall 2017 runway, and I’m as surprised to write this as you probably are to read it: he did a pretty decent job?

All of the bags on Wang’s runway, fanny packs and beyond, were black leather accented with heavy silver hardware, much of which looked like chainmail of varying types. That particular combination is and always has been undeniably cool, and Wang is able to extend that to belt bags by making the belt part much more eye-catching than the bag itself. The think chain strap would make a great accompaniment to a little black party dress; I can almost envision it on the Bella Hadids and Kendall Jenners of the world now. That doesn’t guarantee retail sales, but it does give this belt bag a fighting chance.

For the rest of us, similar chains and metal details adorn a host of more traditional shoulder bags and clutch pouches. Check them all out below.